Film producer Allu Aravind, also father of Pushpa 2 actor Allu Arjun, on Wednesday announced financial support totalling Rs 2 crores for the eight-year-old boy injured in the December 4 Sandhya Theatre stampede.

The unfortunate incident, which occurred during Allu Arjun’s visit to the theatre for a Pushpa 2 premiere, claimed the life of the boy’s 35-year-old mother. Allu Arjun is now facing charges in the case, and was questioned by police on Tuesday regarding his involvement.

Reportedly, the veteran producer along with Dil Raju and others, visited the private hospital where the boy injured in the stampede is being treated. After consulting with the doctors, Allu Aravind expressed relief upon learning that the boy is recovering and is now able to breathe independently.

Speaking to the media, Allu Aravind said that the boy, Sri Teja, is recovering, and is not on a ventilator. He added that to support the family, they should support him with Rs2 crore: Rs 1 crore by Allu Arjun, Rs 50 lakh by Mythri Movie Makers, and Rs 50 lakh by director Sukumar. He further mentioned that they will give this money through Telangana Film Development Corporation Chairman Dil Raju.

When questioned if he had visited the boy’s family, Aravind explained that he cannot interact with the family due to the legal problems. With the police permission, once, 10 days back, he visited him. He was then recovering, he continued.

Meanwhile, producer and Telangana Film Development Corporation (FDC) chairman Dil Raju also addressed the media, stating that there is a meeting planned tomorrow with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and they have taken an appointment. He added that they have invited most of the prominent members of the industry.

Earlier on Tuesday, the father of the eight-year-old boy injured in the December 4 stampede during the screening of Pushpa 2 said that the boy has shown improvement and is now off oxygen and ventilator support. He added that while the boy’s condition has improved, full recovery will take time, according to doctors.

He further shared that he received a Rs 10 lakh cheque from Pushpa star Allu Arjun, along with additional assistance from the film’s production team and Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.

Speaking about his willingness to withdraw the complaint, he clarified that he received support from Allu Arjun’s team the day after the incident and emphasized that there was no pressure on him to drop the case.

A man on Wednesday set himself afire near the Parliament in Delhi. He was immediately rushed to the RML hospital after he sustained severe injuries. The police have started an investigation into the matter.

The area where the man attempted to set himself on fire has been cordoned off. A forensic team is also present at the spot to investigate which substance he doused on himself before setting himself on fire.

Delhi Police stated that the man has been identified as Jitendra from Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpat. They said the reason behind the suicide attempt seems to be related to personal enmity in Bagpat. The exact reason will be unearthed only after the investigation.

“Today one person probably Jitendra of Uttar Pradesh’s Bagpat set himself on fire in roundabout rail Bhavan. The local police and railway police along with some civil persons immediately extinguished the fire and the person was sent to hospital. The issue as we can decipher is probably related and personal enmity in Bagpat. Further investigation is on,” Delhi Police said.

“The local police, railway police, and some civilians quickly managed to extinguish the flames, and the man was sent to the hospital. Preliminary findings suggest the incident may be linked to personal enmity in Bagpat. Further investigations are ongoing,” the police statement said.

In another similar incident, a man from Rohini set himself on fire outside the Transport Bhawan near the Parliament in April, 2023. The man was reportedly raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

He had lost his job during the lockdown imposed during the pandemic. He doused himself with an inflammable liquid as he shouted slogans and set himself afire. He was rescued immediately by police personnel in the area and taken to a nearby hospital. The man had sustained 50 per cent burns in the incident, according to reports.

In an unfortunate incident, a roadways bus fell into a 100-metre deep gorge in Bhimtal area of Uttarakhand’s Nainital district on Wednesday, leaving several people injured. Officials stated that the bus belongs to Roadways and was going from Bhimtal to Haldwani with 20-25 people travelling on it.

Reports stated that the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) personnel carried out rescue operations at the accident site. SSP Nainital Prahlad Meena said that information was received from the District Control Room, Nainital that a roadways bus has crashed near Bhimtal, on which the rescue teams of SDRF have left for the spot from Post Nainital and Khairna.

Notably, the accident in Bhimtal happened a day after an Army vehicle fell into a gorge in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, killing five soldiers. A defence spokesperson said that the cause of the accident is being ascertained but possibly, the driver lost control at the turn of the road. The accident took place in the Gharoa area when a convoy of six vehicles was en route from Nilam Headquarters to Balnoi Ghora Post.

The officials said that rescue teams have recovered five bodies from the gorge which is 300-350 feet deep. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his deep sorrow over the incident near the forward post along the Line of Control (LoC). He also extended deepest sympathies to the bereaved families of the soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Army ruled out terrorism angle in the incident. They said that a terrorist initiated incident positively ruled out after confirming from ground sources. They added that their own post was approximately 130 m from the incident site and the backup vehicle was barely 40 meters away.

Furthermore, the Northern Command, also called the Dhruva Command, said Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar and all ranks extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers.